Maelstrom
by RyuWriter
Summary: The human mind works in mysterious ways. Most of the time we're can't understand ourselves, and refuse to understand others. In this we all unique, yet similar. The mind is a maelstrom of thoughts that doesn't understand itself.
1. Prologue

**Konoha, October 11th, Red-Light District**

The outside was twisted blueish- gray as the pitter-patter of falling water from the sky made small foot sized ponds. He stared up from his bed, his blonde hair matted and flattened against his head as it's color reflected the dull mood from outside.

"It was my birthday yesterday…" That one statement left him hollow as the words echoed through his empty shell. Many seemed to underestimate the weight of being alone, entirely alone… Humans are social creatures, we need to talk to someone sometime in some way. Lack of this interaction is devastating to the human mind. How much worse could it be if this interaction should be possible, but still lacked completely? It ts the same as dying of dehydration in the ocean. A laughable tragedy to tell the story of a lonely boy with no friends, no family, no reason to live. As much as he would like to deny it, the fact that he only remembered his own birthday the day after gave proof. If he couldn't remember the most significant day of his own life then what reason did he have to live it? He pondered to futility of his own life as he lied there.

Until a knock rapped against his door. Shooting straight up his disheveled hair fell loose around his face and his sloppy clothes loose off his body he stumbled out of bed and opened his door.

"I-Iruka-sensei..?" He admitted he probably looked really rough. His clothes were messy and stained, his hair was uncombed, his eyes were probably red, and his voice sounded rough and unfamiliar even to him. Iruka looked at him with a mix of curiosity and worry.

"Naruto..? You're, um, late…" Iruka looked away from the depressing sight that was a 10 year old Naruto Uzumaki. Speaking of he looked around he realized the rain had stopped and looking at the time on his clock, it probably stopped hours ago. Before is was 6, the time was now 9:23.

"Just how lost in thought was I?" Naruto shook his head and nodded, stepping out of the apartment and simply closing the door. Anything he really felt protective towards he kept on him in some way at all times.

"You're going like that?" Iruka looked ludicrously at him.

"Yeah, why does it matter?" Naruto looked at him with surprisingly dead eyes.

Iruka shook his head and he took off to the academy Naruto following behind. As they came into the classroom everyone expect see a bright orange tied up into a ball of blonde idiocy with a stark-raving, mad-dog sensei dragging him along. Insead they both walked in rather calmly and Naruto was not wearing any orange. Well mainly, there was the orange spiral on his t-shirt, but that was a far cry from neon orange jumpsuit he had been wearing more often. He silently and calmly walked to a seat and dropped down. The class had mummering quietly, wondering what was wrong with the annoying ball of energy. They assumed, though, that soon he would just be just as loud as usual. They assumed wrong. The entire lesson he sat silent. His thoughts swam and spun in his head never settling or slowing down. He thought about the futility of his existence. What purpose does living serve if he only can live for himself, where was his great reason, his life goal? Why should he live if no wants him alive? Maybe it would be better if- His thoughts were snapped short by the calling of his name.

"S-sorry Iruka-sensei could you repeat that?"

Iruka sighed and shook his head, "I said, 'What does the Hokage do for the village', Naruto."

"I don't know, he's the strongest so I guess he orders around the shinobi under him, right?" Naruto stated. He had never really thought much about the Hokage or what he did. He just knew he was the strongest.

Iruka sighed, seeing subtle nods of approval at Naruto's over simplified answer. He supposed that this is what teachers do, teach what would not be known otherwise.

"Yes, but it's more than that. The Hokage is the symbol of the village. He is the hope of the people and their will. He leads them not only to battle, but also through peace. He is the root of the Will of Fire."

While everyone nodded and clapped Naruto stared. The hope of the people? The root of the Will of Fire? The Hokage sounded important, and even loved. Would he be loved if he became Hokage? It was a ridiculous thought that simply being the head of the village would make him loved. Even still, the human mind will hold on to any reason to exsite, no matter how outlandish. So, in this way a lonely boy dreamed to become Hokage.


	2. Bad Ideas

It was a bad idea. He knew that ANBU were not the people to mess with. They were the shadows of the village doing the work to dark for most. Silent killers, trained in multiple ways to murder quickly, easily, and without a trace. They could make him disappear easy, especially since no one would really miss him.

And yet hearing the indignation in their voice as they chased him he smiled. "Th_ey could kill me, easy. Buuuut, this is just way too much fun."_

* * *

He smirked as dashed through the village, a rainbow following behind, saying things that shouldn't be said. Blank masks of various animal shapes dyed in cartoon like colors followed after him, swearing revenge. When they weren't just swearing. As he continued to run away from the angry murderers he stripped his famed jacket and threw up in the air. The ANBU jumped after the distraction while Naruto dove under a line drying clothes. Rolling across the ground, he broke out into a mad dash. Yellow rays painted the village in bright colors as Naruto ran as fast he could causing more chaos in his wake. Seeing an entrance to the sewers he wasted no time and dove in quickly closing the top behind him.

**Aboveground, Konoha**

The ANBU dropped to the ground. "You feel it? Neko looked over at Buta. Yeah, but I'm not going down there." Buta said, "It's really not that important." With that he jumped away, Neko following behind

\--Underground, Konoha--

Quick breathing echoed through the underground tunnel, while the soft sound of fabric sliding against the wall followed. He panted heavily and closed his eyes, telling himself he had done a job well done. He slowly pushed himself up and walked the underground path to the academy. "Iruka-sensei is gonna give me shit again." He thought snickering to himself, "Itll be worth it." He started jog to his destination, when he felt something. A small tug in his gut. He looked down a tunnel to his left and stared. He thought about it and took the turn._ "What's a few more minutes?"_

**Underground Cavern, Konoha**

Naruto came into a large cavern though it was odd, despite being underground it seemed as bright as outside. Boulders of differing shapes and sizes, moves past him as his feet padded softly across the giant cave. He saw, the boulder wasnt the biggest or the tallest. It wasnt even the most centrally placed, that seemed to be the boulder two meters to its right. It would be nothing special at all if it didnt glint in the light (where ever that was coming from). Well more accurately the sword halfway down in it was glinting. It was calling to him, begging him to grab its hilt. Of course grabbing a random sword you know nothing about is a bad idea, but…

_"What's one more bad idea today?"_


End file.
